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Summer is a busy time for housewives. Vegetables, fruits, herbs, mushrooms, and berries are ripening. Everything needs to be collected and stored on time. The peculiarities of the Russian climate require the preservation of crops in the form of conservation.
Jars with preparations are most often stored in apartments, a small part - in the refrigerator. Supplies must withstand a long shelf life: 3-8 months. Therefore, during the preservation procedure, sanitary standards for the cleanliness of products and utensils used should be observed.
Containers for preservation should be subjected to sterilization - the process of freeing the surface of all types of microorganisms, bacteria, spores, and fungi. At home, the sterilization process can be accomplished by exposing the dishes inside the oven to high temperature.
Benefits of oven sterilization
Sterilizing jars in the oven has a number of advantages over other types of sterilization: (steam over a kettle, pouring boiling water, sterilization in the microwave):
- Reliability of the method. Exposure to high temperatures kills microorganisms;
- Time costs are much lower compared to other methods;
- Volumes. You can place about 10 small containers in the oven at the same time;
- Safety, provided there are no sudden temperature changes.
Initial preparation of cans
Before placing glass containers in the oven, you need to carefully inspect them for physical damage: chips, cracks, air bubbles in the glass. Remove the defective jars; they are not suitable for further preservation.
Now jars are produced with a metal clip and a glass lid, on which a rubber ring is put on for sealing. These jars look very attractive. However, they cannot be sterilized in the oven.
There are non-standard glass jars. It can be difficult to purchase new covers for them. Therefore, it is better to check such containers for leaks in advance. Fill the jar with water, screw on the lid, and wipe dry. Turn the lid upside down and shake vigorously.
If the lid fits tightly, not a drop of water will leak out. Such containers can be used for sterilization and subsequent use for workpieces.
After a visual inspection, all utensils are thoroughly washed. It is best to use baking soda or laundry soap. Both methods are good, since the products are easily washed off and additionally disinfect the jars and do not leave an odor. Pay special attention to the neck, where the lid will connect to the jar. Dirt and dust may accumulate in the thread area.
In addition to jars in the oven, you can also sterilize the lids. Only those designed for containers with threaded threads are suitable. The covers are also preliminarily inspected for damage. There should be no stains or corrosion, then they are washed with soda or laundry soap.
After washing, you can turn the glass jars upside down and place them on a towel to drain off excess water.If time does not wait, then they can be immediately placed in the oven.
How to place banks? It doesn't really matter whether you put the jars on the bottom or upside down. If they were raw, then when processed with heat, limescale may remain on the bottom. There will be no harm from it. This is just an aesthetic flaw.
Sterilization process
The washed jars are placed on a wire rack in a cold oven. Sterilization in the oven is the safest method with gradual heating: first set the temperature to 50°C, wait 5-10 minutes, then set it to 100°C for the next 5-10 minutes, and once again raise the temperature to 150°C and also hold for 5- 10 minutes. The intermediate time depends on the volume of the jar.
How long it takes to sterilize jars depends on their volume:
- 0.5-0.7 liter – 10 minutes;
- 0.7-1 liter – 10-15 minutes;
- 1.5-2 liters - 20-25 minutes;
- 3-liter – 25-30 minutes.
The lids are sterilized for 10 minutes at a temperature of 150°C.
The sterilization temperature should not be very high, the maximum does not exceed 200°C.
Another way for the sterilization process is to place empty, clean jars in a cold oven. And set the desired temperature. They look at the glass of the door. It will soon become covered with condensation, and after a few minutes the drops will dry. Then you can start counting down the time.
After the required time has passed, turn off the oven and open the door slightly to allow the jars to begin to cool. The process can be speeded up by removing the jars and placing them on a thick towel.
Even on a hot summer day, the table and the freshly heated jar have too much of a temperature difference, and the jar may crack.
Follow personal safety rules! Remove jars from the oven only using oven mitts or a thick towel. They may still be too hot.
The towel or oven mitts must be dry so as not to cause temperature changes and damage to the jar.
Watch this helpful video:
Immediately after high-temperature treatment, jars should not be filled with blanks. Some recipes recommend placing freshly cooked salads, lecho or adjika in hot sterile jars. In such cases, the jars need to cool for some time. They should be hot or warm, but not scorching hot.
Vegetable or fruit preparations that have been heat-treated, but contain little vinegar or sugar according to the recipe, require additional heat treatment.
After they have been placed in warm jars, you should place them in a cold or warm oven and set the temperature to 150°C. The times for filled jars are as follows:
- 0.5-0.7 liter – 10-15 minutes;
- 1-liter – 15-20 minutes;
- 1.5-2 liters – 20-25 minutes;
- 3-liter - 30 minutes.
You can cover the jars with lids, but do not screw them on under any circumstances. Or place next to it on a wire rack or baking sheet.
After the time has passed, the oven is turned off, and the jars are left in it for a while to cool, 5-10 minutes. You can open the door slightly. Then the containers are removed, immediately sealed with sterile lids and placed under a blanket to cool slowly.
Conclusion
A summer day feeds the year. Therefore, many of us try to keep up both in the garden and in the kitchen. There is no time left for rest.To reduce your time in the kitchen, use an assistant - the oven. Sterilized dishes and salad in them will last longer and not a liter will spoil, so you won’t have to regret wasting your time and products.
